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using "I consider that" instead of "I think that" in TOEFL essays

I am wondering if this is OK to use "I consider that" instead of "I think that" in thesis statements in TOEFL essays. For example, is it correct to write "I consider that more and more people should study English in my country for three main reasons." instead of "I believe / think that more and more people should study English in my country for three main reasons."?
Thank you in advance for your help.

Re: using "I consider that" instead of "I think that" in TOEFL essays

I use ‘consider’ a lot in essays when I’ve firmly made up my mind: “Professor B think this is correct, but I consider it wrong.”; “I consider [that] this [is] the best example from Picasso’s Pink period.”
I’d say it’s wrong for a different reason. I wouldn’t use it with “should”. “I consider you should go” – NO. In fact, now that I think about it, I wouldn’t use it with any modal verbs:
“I consider that dinner must be ready”; “I consider that you could do it if you tried.” – Wrong.

Re: using "I consider that" instead of "I think that" in TOEFL essays

Originally Posted by terranovamd

... For example, is it correct to write "I consider that more and more people should study English in my country for three main reasons." instead of "I believe / think that more and more people should study English in my country for three main reasons."?
...

Well you'd be understood, but I wish you wouldn't do it. Considering is giving something careful thought, weighing the pro's and cons, that sort of thing. If you have done that, it would be better to say something like 'It's my considered opinion that...' or 'After careful consideration, I've decided that...'.

b

PS Having written that, I thought I'd search for 'considered + <noun>' collocations at BNC. Of the 514 cases - most of which (more than 400) represent a single occurence of the noun in question - only these eight make it into double figures:

We can ignore no. 6 as a problem with the search, and 1, 5, and 8 use 'considered' in the sense 'thought to be'. So we can say only four of the relevant ones make it into double figures, and 'considered opinion' is the commonest.

PPS
After posting this I realized that if you started to say 'It is my considered ...', only 3 of those options would be possible, and by far the most common is

1 IT IS MY CONSIDERED OPINION 3

I rest my case, which is that - in this case - 'considered opinion' is a safe (if not clichéd) bet.

Re: using "I consider that" instead of "I think that" in TOEFL essays

I think it's legitimate to say "I consider ..." even though one has already considered and finished considering. We use other words that way too.
"I judge that killing whales is wrong."; "I find this TV progamme annoying"
Basically, it can mean "Whenever I think about (consider) this particular problem, I come to the conclusion that...." Since humans often change their opinions, they find themselves considering things over and over - at least those with a bent for thinking do. In that case, "I consider ..." means "I habitually consider ..."